Meet ice dancer, City of Palms Charter alum Michelle Yau
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Michelle Yau has been involved in ice skating for 15 years. A graduate of City of Palms Charter High School in Ft. Myers, Michelle has been ice dancing with coaches at Hertz Arena and has even participated on an ice skating synchronization team.
“The curiosity of my mother led to my decision to do this sport,” Michelle said. “She did the sport with the European standards, where children have to do something other than just go to school. And here I am! Chasing my dream is an interesting journey, which gave me an opportunity to be a part of the International Ice Dance Team here in Hertz Arena.”
Through her sport, Michelle likes to inspire and motivate others with her ice dancing presentations.
“Ice dance has a special music. I love music to apply into moves and to feel special on slippery/glittery surfaces like ice,” she said. “To pregame, I relax with any music with a meaningful rhythm and that’s prone to meditation.”
Through her years at Hertz Arena, Michelle has enjoyed working with her coaches and gaining advice and skills through their training sessions. With over a decade in the sport, Michelle has learned how to analyze situations, listen, focus, be consistent, make quick decisions, be organized and learn from others.
One of her favorite opportunities was to be part of an ice skating synchronization team.
“This was the best experience to express something more than just ice skating. Learn how to trust your teammates!” Michelle said.
Michelle is constantly learning in her sport, and she has prided herself on taking responsibility and improving her skills since her first ice dance competition.
“I will always remember my first ice dance competition where I did more steps on ice than I should,” Michelle said. “I decided to go directly to the judges and immediately ask how big my mistake was and if I will have a deduction. My coach saw this and turned into a red lobster! Nobody, not any skaters, can directly go and talk with the judges as they are the most respected authorities. Except me. I did, and they always remembered me, how honest I was, taking responsibility for what I did. But I made it to the podium for my medals! A mistake is a good thing. Why? Because everyone went through something.”
Michelle is currently attending the University of San Francisco and majoring in computer data science and neuroscience. She plans on continuing her ice skating in California and would like to give advice to anyone who wants to learn how to ice skate.
“I am chasing my dream to be an athlete with the best experience from my top coaches. When the time comes, I want to be a top professional ice dance coach and choreographer to teach the young generation of figure skaters to boost their self-confidence, relieve stress and much more,” Michelle said. “Everything is possible!”
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